08-26-2006, 05:37 AM
[quote elmo3][quote Jerry®]Odd. My XP PRO installation never asked me for a code nor did it ask for activation - or registration.
Hmm....
Not odd at all. Check out Microsoft's web site with respect to the different kinds of XP that are out there.
Off the shelf, retail, it needs to be activated. But computer makers like Compaq/HP, IBM, etc. who bundle Windows with the hardware have a choice: require activation, or tie their version to the BIOS and avoid activation. That way, attempts to install it on a different machine will still fail since the BIOS check fails.
Or you could have a corporate copy that doesn't require activation. Since corporations deal with thousands of desktops, and that's unrealistic to force activation on, corporate licensing customers get versions that don't have activation at all.
So unless you bought your copy of XP off the retail shelf, it's not at all unusual to hear that your copy didn't require activation.
Interesting. Thanks elmo for the info - I appreciate it.
Hmm....
Not odd at all. Check out Microsoft's web site with respect to the different kinds of XP that are out there.
Off the shelf, retail, it needs to be activated. But computer makers like Compaq/HP, IBM, etc. who bundle Windows with the hardware have a choice: require activation, or tie their version to the BIOS and avoid activation. That way, attempts to install it on a different machine will still fail since the BIOS check fails.
Or you could have a corporate copy that doesn't require activation. Since corporations deal with thousands of desktops, and that's unrealistic to force activation on, corporate licensing customers get versions that don't have activation at all.
So unless you bought your copy of XP off the retail shelf, it's not at all unusual to hear that your copy didn't require activation.
Interesting. Thanks elmo for the info - I appreciate it.